Bush says Hillary "understands pressure better than any of the candidates"; also says experience as First Lady helpful

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CHARLES GIBSON: You have said you don't wanna comment politically but you did tell a book author that you thought Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic nominee --

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: I did. [LAUGHS] I got caught. [LAUGHTER] I do, I think she's a very formidable candidate, and, one -- one of the interesting things, that she brings is that she has been under pressure. She understands the klieg lights. You know what I'm talking about.

CHARLES GIBSON: Sure.

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: You are the klieg lights. And, [LAUGHS] And it's, &you, it's & heading out to -- heading into this stretch in the primaries and heading into the general election, is, is really the difference between minor leagues and big leagues.

...

CHARLES GIBSON: If a person has an opportunity, in the role of the First Lady to observe the President and what he goes through for eight years - does that experience prepare the person to be president?

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: Yes, in the --

CHARLES GIBSON: -- of course in the abstract --

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: -- totally, yeah, exactly, totally in the abstract. I think you, you certainly know what it's like, I mean there's no doubt about it, you know, you know the pressure, there is, you know the difficulties, you know the& You're very aware, and we certainly were this way too watching George's dad, I mean we were very, always very aware of what it was like to serve both the burdens of it and the great parts about it as well, and the wonderful opportunities you had, when you live in the White House and when you have the chance to meet people everywhere --

CHARLES GIBSON: So if the First Lady were to run, previous First Lady were to run for President, that that experience is very helpful.

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: I think it's very helpful, I mean I think it was very helpful for us to have been & around the White House as much as we were when his parents served there --

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: And that's what I meant by she --

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: -- she understands the klieg lights and the pressure --

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: That's right.

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Having said that I do believe our candidate will beat her, if she happens to be the nominee. But --

CHARLES GIBSON: Whoever that candidate may be --

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Whoever -- whoever he may be in this case. [LAUGHTER] No question. There is no question, that, Senator Clinton, understands pressure better than any of the candidates, you know, in the race because she & she under -- she lived in the White House and sees it first -- could see it first-hand.

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Edited November 21, 2007 by VJ Troll